Powertel's the way to go!
Written: Mar 05 '01 (Updated Mar 21 '01)
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Pros: 3600 minutes a month for $40? Free long distance? Wahoo!
Cons: Somewhat limited area
The Bottom Line: If you're going OUT of the calling area often, look for a service with free roaming charges. If you're staying IN, Powertel can't be beat.
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| jll3sonex's Full Review: Powertel Mobile Phone Service in Atlanta |
I've been a Powertel user since 1997, when they offered service in the Atlanta area. I started off at their $40 for 400 minutes rate, wanting to have a cell phone for use if my wife (who was pregnant at the time) needed me in a hurry or if my car broke down. At the time, their coverage of the city was sufficient for my needs.
Our house was at the edge of their calling area (and almost in a dead zone, down in a bit of a depression and out of clear sight of their towers) but signal quality was adequate. Overall, I thought it was a great deal, especially looking at other plans that cost the same but gave less. The only problem I had was an occasional failed call between 5 and 5:30 PM - from network congestion.
(By the way, the most I ever used was about 150 minutes a month. I'm not one of those folk who drive around with a cell phone superglued to my ear. But it was nice having the cushion.)
Anyway, the Atlanta market's getting pretty hot for cell phone providers now. Seems like there's always something new going on, some sort of special by one provider or another. Hadn't seen one good enough to impell me to change from the $40 a month plan at Powertel, though.
Then last month they started a promotion. $40 a month, for 3600 minutes. 600 minutes prime time, 3000 off peak and weekend hours, and FREE long distance. 60 hours of talking time a month! For $40 a month? That's a deal and a half!
My folks live in New Mexico, my wife's in Pennsylvania. Free long distance? Okay, let's go for it!
And while we were at the Powertel outlet, we were told of a special offer associated with changing my service type - $100 credit towards a new phone! My wife's resisted getting a cell phone, but she'd feel better having one for the daytime driving she has to do. So we got a new phone with that $100 credit, then I added another number to my account and got a $50 credit on top of that! There's a $20 activation charge, but that's okay.
Net result - two phones, two numbers, $150 total credits, $120 total expenditures. Gross profit, $30.
Already I've talked to my folks more in the last two weeks than in the previous two months. And to my brother in Washington State more than in the last six. And my wife - I got her a remote headset, now we chat while on the way to work in the mornings. So be careful - we're probably talking about how you're driving. ;-)
Competition. Ain't it great?
And Powertel comes with a raft of free features - 1st minute of incoming calls are free, free caller ID, call waiting, and the like. Add in the features in the phones, and you can't beat the deal.
In addition, they've been building onto their infrastructure. I still have an occasional dropout, but not like it was. And we found that Powertel hasn't stretched up into the North Georgia Mountains yet, but it DOES extend down as far as Warner Robins, GA. Coverage inside the city's good, outside okay for about 20 miles, and then it follows the freeways.
You might want to check them out, at www.powertel.com
Enjoy!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $80/mo, 2 #s
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Epinions.com ID:
jll3sonex
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Location: Marietta, GA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
45 year old computer tech in search of...
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